Channel Islands Harbor has been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, the Ventura County Harbor Department announced. The achievement celebrates businesses and destinations that have earned great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year.

Ventura County owns and operates 310 acres comprising the Channel Islands Harbor. The majority of the Harbor is operated by businesses who have been granted long-term leases by the Board of Supervisors. On TripAdvisor, the Channel Islands Harbor is highly rated in the “top things to do” and “good for peace & quiet seekers” categories in Oxnard.

“Receiving this recognition is a credit to all lessees and businesses who make the Channel Islands Harbor a great place to live and visit,” said Ventura County Harbor Department Director Lyn Krieger. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by our visitors. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on visitor reviews, the achievement is a remarkable vote of confidence to our success and commitment to service excellence.”

The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

As the first recreational harbor in Ventura County, Channel Islands Harbor has become one of the largest in California, after Marina Del Rey and San Diego in Southern California. It now includes over 300 acres of land and water, but the initial development included only a small portion of the current harbor area. Additional construction took place over the years, including the west channel of the harbor, along Harbor Boulevard and Peninsula Road. Development of the harbor has been largely accomplished through leases with private developers, who have constructed eight marinas (not including the three constructed by the County) comprising over 2200 boat slips, two hotels, two yacht club buildings, two boat yards, three shopping areas, two freestanding restaurants, a Maritime Museum, over 100 condominiums and 485 apartments. In addition, public agencies have provided parks, restrooms, the public launch ramp and parking for the public. For more information on Channel Islands Harbor visit www.channelislandsharbor.org.